Submarine contact-mine.



P.BB130'K. SUBMARINE CONTACT MINE.

APPLIOATIOH FILED SEPT. 16, 1910.

latented Mar. 26, 1912.

2 SHEETB-SHEET 1.

kw/misses.- W76 1?. BRUCE.

SUBMARINE CONTACT MINE. APPLIOATfON FILED SEPT. 16, 1910.

Patented Mar. 26, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES:

ATTORNEYS wer r y, a id i i LUZLQSQ Specification of Letters 233; 191.2, Application filed Seytember 1G, 191d Serial No. 5%2 ..2-69.

hat the ZE "i8 shall be safe, 55

To all whom may some 12 Be: it known that I, .irrz BRET/liq :1 see igidlvc with the ect of the German Emperozn IESil ct ample, whiie ii; is on bozird we beii'ig laid; To end 'iI-llGCOB- WEED mine casing and anchor,

"isrleid, is ofsiich a character '80 .i s oe01 flierv WElgA ts are free- ,Osnabriick, Germany have invented eeriainnew and useful improvements in Sub marine Contact-lilines, which the fol I ing is a specification. that the 2:31-

Safetyiguition arrangements for Contact from sirain, c mir es, especially ofiensire mines, for ree- 1M3 invention 2115?; cemhrises means 051" 10 daringsuch mines or insensitive ellowing 'bhe person. wholeys em mine to when they have broken from their "zinchorbring the mine casing; after it hes'beenset 65 age,- end depending on variability of water under Water, to iii?) surface, or to seperate it pressure at diiiercn fv depths are welllmcr i; -eniireiyfree: its connection xvii-11 555 anchor." such arrangements are geiier aily made e The mine is thus rendered safe and may be L L 15 employ hydrosietic pleies e divereeconhandled W denger thus avoiding the siruotiohs which are aeepied :0 or-eel; the necessity of discharging er sinkihg...it in 70 i gnition or fuse circuits-es soon as the erder to render it harmless. i "pressure has fallen below 11 predeterm c if; is of iznpoz tenee variations the amount. These constructions are subject condiiioiiihe'springs orin the position-of to the objection that the difference in prerthe eights should not follew too closely the sure of the Water upec a mine which is en- ,initiatien ahd interruption of the tension in 7 5 chored at e small distance from ti e surface fihe connecting member betweenthe m'ineand from that upon a drifting riiine is so small he anchor by changes in biioyehcy 'of the that, especially in rough sees, the demine casing Unless this conditi'onis' sat-ise Yices cannot be depended upon with oerfled vthen whiie en' ofi'ensive mine "rigidly "fieinty and uniformity even if constructed connected with its anchor is on boardthe 80 with the greatest cereezid accuracy. minedeying ship, or when io is being trans: The subject er the present invention is o. ported for the purpose cf being laid, said device for rendering mines shove rer*- t reediiy' be armed, even. if only ferred'to character safe by utilizing he tezifor e period of fiiine, by being shaken sion produced in the memberconneciing the or upset. Similarly, after -.a mine "is ed- 85 mine casing and the anchor by the hue" we j'iisied under water, e hostile ship mightiao of said casing, one or more sprir ,cideniieily rim upon the i ine in such man- 'terposed in Lhis member, or eeoi oer H mine would be depressed for the same, between the anchor and an ins cf before an ig p WOllld ing, which spring (orsprihgs) is struck; me name would thus be safe at the 90 by the tensile force sees in insure 1 true oenieet and fail of its purmme shall be armed While on -the cissation fgose. Te ewid these se' /erei difiiculties I 01": the tension the mine is safe. 'previde in my invehtion'that alterations in 40 instead of spring", one or mo 1' counter weights maybe used in which i duced bythe tension a we? which continues so long lhe '1 maintained. As the buoyancy of 4-5 casing in good minesis equi'" n:

f0 kilograms, but is greater, there is available en 0; of such magnitude that the previoril cated unreliability of Working no longer 50 obtains.

a or the courier Weights shall -V Wi For i-his purpose brakes or retarding Within suitable c which variations in (he h o the springs er in the position of -"hi's place.

y, it is or" importance to provide thee when thernine is kept long under Wafer the variations in the condition of the springs or in the position of the Weights shall not be .B id r d ri $119. ine fe aft it interfered with by deposits of animal or has broken loose iron its anchor, it is also vegetable merters. Ewing regard to the vpossible by means of my invention in mej, powerfiil force ayaileble, this object nay be the requirement, especially necessarv with real zed by forming the surfaces, which are penetrate the pressed together for limiting the movement representing Variation in'the condition of the springs or with notches and spikes so as to sever or foreign bodies.

Inthe accompa ying drawings which illustrate the invention. Figure 1 is a vertical elevation, partly in section along the line 1-1 of Fig. 3, showing a. mine buoy or casing rigidly coupled with its anchor by a soluble connection: the mine represented is an offensive mine of which the reel or drum for winding the anchor rope is fixed to and rises with the mine casing; the device for arming the mine and rendering it sate is in such position that the ignition circuit is broken. Fig. 2 shows the mine casing fixed to the anchor by an anchor rope, adjusted to hold said casin at the desired depth below the water level; the device or rendering the mine safe and arming it is here in such posit-ion that the ignition circuit is closed. For the sake of clearness the mine casing and the anchor are shown broken away. Fig. 3 is a Vertical section on the line 3+3 of Fig. 1. The anchor is here shown with my improved devices for releasing and floating the mine casing. Fig. 4 is an end view (taken from the left, Fig. showing the box attached to the mine casing which contains the anchor rope reel as also the spring suspension.

In the drawings f denotes the mine casing which rests on a supporting frame 1) fixed to the anchor g which anchor is adapted to he moved along rails the casing being held in this position before laying the mine by a connection a provided with a soluble block the ends of the connecting links a. (1 being respeclircly connected to the an chor and to the box f \Yhen thefnl'ne is laid the block x is dissolved by the acliiin of the wate and the casing by reason of its bnoyarcy rises from the anchor until it reaches the depth below the water level. at which it has been arranged to be tloated or held; at this depth the means dependent upon hydrostatic pressure (not shown) is employed to actuate a clamping device 24 attached to the box f so as to grip and prevent; any further unwinding of the cable.

This box contains the reel or drum 7 (Z for the anchor rope (7; it is located beneath the casing f and is mounted on springs f by means of lateral lugs. which springs are carried by stirrups f rigidly connected with the casing, The box is so mounted on these springs that it is ordinarily pressed upwardly by the springs f against the bottom of the casing, the springs being chosen to exert a substantially greater force than is required to balance the weight of the box with the drum. rope and appurtenances. This position of the parts is represented in box 7' also carries a Figs. 1, 3 and i. The

in the position of the weights, I

outer end carries a contact.

guided in a switch box 4 attached to the b;

the fuse 8.

In the embodiment of the invention shown pact of a ship destroying one of the timid caps 7 whereby a operation the flow through the ignition circuit 9 brings the use 8 to incandesccnce. Accordingly, any interruption of the ignition circuit renders the mine safe. pin 3 is brought into the position shown in Figs. 1 and tin which it no longer connects electrically the two contacts and 6. As soon, however, as a downward pull is exercised on the box f in excess of the pressure of the springs as is the case when te sion is produced in the rope d by reason of the buoyancy of the mine casin the box f is withdrawn springs f? are compressed as .shown in Big. *3. The pin 3 then connects the contacts 5 and (land the fuse circuit is closed so that the mine is armed. As soon as the 'tension in the rope r] is discontinued by the breakage or release of the anchor rope, the springs 1 again expand and press the box f against the mine casing. so that the pin 3 is again witlulrawn from the contacts 5 and (l and the tuse circuit is opened or interrupted.

rig. 2 shows the mine casing and the box j" separated from one another by the tension due to buoyancy. Should, in course oftime, when the mine is under water. vegetable or animal matter such as seaweed or shellfish accunullate bet ween the box f and the mine casing. the teeth or spikes it provided on the box will cut or penetrate these foreign llOtlitH when the springs are released after the force of buoyancy has been suspended and ;thercb v insure that the mine shall be rem [cred safe.

The retarding rakes which insure that the springs f shall slowly alter their position consist. in the present castuof pistons 12 rigidly connected with the stirrups f over which pistons cylinders 13 attached to the box f and tilled with liquid are ar ranged to travel. The .pistons 12 are each formed with only a "small aperture 14: through which liquid can pass from the one side to the other side of the piston.

in order to be able to collect the mines in a mamur which will not be dangerous there is employed a releasing or floating attachment attached to the anchor (Fig. 3). On being thrown orerhoardgthc mines are connected together by means of connecting lines. '15 and 16 secured to rings 1'7 and 18. The

The inner end oi the lever is pivoted to the casing f while the pin 3 which-is f. The twocontacts 5 and 6 in, this box 4 7b are included in the electrical circuit com 1 prising the conductor 9, the lead caps -7 and To interrupt the circuit, the

from the mine casing and the in the drawings the mine is fired by the hi1 f battery is brought into of eurr'cat from wlnchone ring 17 is fixed to the anchor while the other ring is connected to the releasing or floating device. This latter is so arranged that when tension is applied to the line 16 the anchor rope d is detached from the anchor, even though the tension is less than is represented by the weight of the anchor. On collecting the mines therefore first the anchor rope is detached and then the anchor itself is lifted.

If it is not desired to detach the anchor rope but only to float the mine so that the mine casing floating on the surface shall remain connected with the anchor, the anchor rope is held by the releasing device not at its end but at a part of the anchor rope which is, say, about ten yards from the end, while the end of the anchor rope is fastened to the anchor in any suitable manner. On the actuation of the releasing device therefore the ten yards of rope are freed and the mine rises to the surface.

The releasing devicev itself, which may be of variable construction, consists in the present example of a double-armed lever 19 pivoted to the anchor, to an arm of which lever the ring 18 is attached by means of the line 16. The other arm of the lever 19' presses against a jaw 21 pivoted on a fulcrum 20, which jaw 21 clamps the anchor rope be-v tween it and an eccentric clamp 22. The greater thetension of the anchor rope, the more tightly the rope is clamped by the eccentric 22 and the more securely is it retained. By pulling the line 16, the lever 19 is turned downwardly with the arm bearing on the jaw 21 and the jaw 21 can turn around the fulcrum 20. In this .way, the

anchor rope is freed. In order that during the laying of the mine the lever shall not be prematurely moved out of itsposition in consequence of the line 16 being pulled, a soluble safety device 23 is provided which permits movement of the lever only after said device has been dissolved by the seawater and this, of course, will be some time after the mine has been laid.

I have described a preferred embodiment of my invention but many variations of detail may be made without departing from tion with reference to the casing with change of tension in the cable so as to actuate said circuit closing device.

2. In a submarine mine of the class described having a casing provided with an ignition circuit, an anchor and an extensible connecting cable, the combination of a circuit closing device. in said ignition circuit, a reel to carry said cable, said reel being movable relatively to said casing, springs between' and engaging both said reel and said casing, and means operatively connected both with said reel and said casing to actuate said circuit closing device when the relative osition of reeland casin is chan ed.

3. In a submarine mine of the class described having a casing provided wit-h an ignition circuit, an anchor and an extensible connecting cable, the combination of a circuit closing device in said ignition circuit, a reel to carry said cable, said reel being movable relatively to said casing, springs be tween and engaging with said reel and said casing, means operatively connected to both said reel and said casing to actuate said circuit closing device when the relative position of reel and casing is changed, and braking means for retarding the rate at which said'relative position is changed.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRITZ BRIICK.

lVitnesses FREDERICK I'IOYERMANN, HELENE GRoBE. 

